Freeze Quantity
The largest quantity the exchange accepts in a single F&O order, the ceiling on how many lots one order can carry.
Working out maximum lots per order
- The formula
- Freeze quantity ÷ lot sizegives maximum lots in one order
- Current figures
- On each index pageNIFTY, BANK NIFTY, FIN NIFTY, MIDCPNIFTY, SENSEX and BANKEX, read from the exchange's contract list
- Orders per position
- Unlimitedsplit across as many orders as needed
NSE and BSE revise freeze quantities by circular (NSE last did on 5 October 2026), and the lot sizes they divide into move on their own schedule, so the per-index pages carry the current figures and the formula here is the durable part.
Where lot size sets the smallest position you can take, freeze quantity sets the largest single order the exchange will accept. Send more than it in one order and the order is rejected outright rather than partially filled. The exchange is not sizing your position down for you. The limit exists to keep a single fat-fingered or outsized order from tearing through the order book, and it applies per order, not per day or per position: a trader who wants more than the cap simply splits the requirement across several orders, which is routine and entirely permitted.
The practical number most traders actually want is the maximum number of lots per order, and that is just the freeze quantity divided by the current lot size. Both figures are revised by the exchange, freeze quantities quarterly and lot sizes whenever notional value drifts outside SEBI's band, so that maximum moves over time even when neither number is individually dramatic. It is why a lots-per-order figure quoted in an older article is rarely still correct.
Example: NSE set NIFTY's freeze quantity at 3,510 units from 5 October 2026. Against a lot size of 65, that is 54 lots in one order. A trader wanting 80 lots is not blocked from the position. They place 54 lots in one order and the rest in a second, and the exchange treats the result as a single 80-lot position.
Frequently asked
How many lots of NIFTY can I buy in one order?
Divide the exchange's freeze quantity by the current lot size. NSE set NIFTY's at 3,510 units from 5 October 2026, which at a lot size of 65 is 54 lots in a single order. Wanting more than that is not a problem. You split the quantity across multiple orders and the exchange treats the result as one position.
What happens if I exceed the freeze quantity?
The order is rejected. The exchange does not fill it partially or scale it down to the limit, so an oversized order simply fails and has to be resubmitted as smaller ones.
Is freeze quantity a limit on my total position?
No. It caps a single order, not your holdings. There is no restriction on how many orders you place, so the freeze quantity constrains how you enter a large position rather than how large that position can be.
What is the difference between freeze quantity and lot size?
Lot size is the floor: the smallest tradeable unit, and the multiplier on one contract. Freeze quantity is the ceiling: the most units the exchange will accept in one order. Every order you place sits between the two.
By index
The current lot size, expiry day and freeze quantity for each, read from the exchange's contract list.
Related terms
See it read live, not just diagrammed
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